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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Finally, a Finish! Lickety Split Quilt for Asher

I am determined that this quarter will be more productive than last, so we are ending this week with a finish! This quilt is a gift for the grandson of one of my husband's coworkers.

Lickety Split | 43"x50.5" | Kona Nightfall + Various

I was given no specific instructions or color schemes on this one, so I just did what I wanted! I used the Lickety Split pattern from Lella Boutique to make this quilt. The pattern is for a 72"x72" quilt, but by halving all the cutting amounts I was able to get the size I wanted. The 6x7 block arrangement measured at about 45"x52.5". For a scrappier look, I used charms squares from my stash instead of a layer cake.

This is one of those patterns where you make a block, cut it up and then make another block. My best friends during the cut-it-up part were the Olfa Rotating Rotary Mat and the June Tailor Shape Cut ruler! The Shape Cut ruler is really helpful for quickly cutting multiple lines without having to move the ruler. I usually use it when I have to cut mass quantities of fabric strips.

In my last post about this quilt, I mentioned that I was going to add a narrow Kona Nightfall border to the top. Several of you commented that you would not include the border. Thank you for your suggestions (specifically Jenn, Fiona and Molli Sparkles)! I'm really glad I decided to skip the border!

This is my standard "gift for a baby" backing! I really liked how the backing turned out on my Plus Quilt, so I followed the same formula: big. bright print on top (Mutiny on the Bunting), bold name strip (Kona Cardinal) and small, soft print bottom (Ta Dot in Stone). The name is paper-pieced using the from blank pagesMy First Alphabet pattern.

The quilting is an offset spiral design in aqua thread. The aqua thread was a bit more contrasty on the Nightfall fabric than I am usually comfortable with, but it blended the best with all the fabrics on my test swatch. I tested various shades of blue, gray and white threads. I do prefer light thread on dark fabric over dark thread on light fabric.

The spiral quilting contrasts very nicely with all the straight lines on the top, but my execution ended up way more "organic" than I intended for it to be. Most spiral quilting tutorials recommend to use the left edge of your walking foot as a guide for 1/2" spacing. Since I was concerned about 1/2" spacing being too dense for a baby quilt, I used the quilting guide bar for 1.5" spacing. My quilting guide bar fits on the right side of my walking foot and I had a difficult time not bumping it out of alignment in the middle of quilting.

Despite my troubles, I would definitely try spiral quilting again. It is much easier than you would expect and it adds really great texture, especially when done at 1/2" spacing. After the first three or four rotations, it became much easier to move. Next time I would just follow the "for best results" instructions, especially while I am still getting the hang of it!

From the moment I finished the quilt top, I had my heart set on a red & white bias stripe binding. The binding is Red Vertical Stripe from Black Tie Boogie. Since I made bias binding, I decided to try rounding the corners. The rounded corners are my favorite part of this quilt and I really want to round the corners on everything now! I will most likely change my mind when it comes time to make bias binding again. Binding is the part where I always get in a hurry! I get so excited about almost having a finished quilt and the prospect of guiltlessly sitting in front of the TV for several hours!

Oh, the pillow! It should have been the easy part! I decided to be fancy and serge the seams. I was so pleased with myself and it looked wonderful, but when I flipped it right side out I noticed that the seams were much bulkier than last time. That's when I remembered that when you put binding on a pillow, it is supposed to be set up like a mini quilt rather than a regular pillowcase. I had to rip all my fancy stitches out! :D

The 12"x22" pillow form had been sitting in my closet for a few years. I am so happy I found a purpose for it! I love Sarah Jane's Nautical Map print and the colors match the quilt! Winning! The border is Anchors Away from the same fabric line. The envelope backing is Metro Rings in Red and Sailor Speak.

This is one of my favorite quilts so far! I would definitely use this pattern again. It would look great in so many color combinations.

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comments so far. What are your thoughts?

This is just darling! SO glad you didn't add a border - so much more interesting this way, especially with rounded corners. I like the back detail and like that you have a 'go-to' baby quilt backing. Perfect choice with the binding - stripe, bias, etc.

This is so awesome!! I love the curved corners most of all, and I'm so glad you skipped the border. :) How did you make your curved corners? Did you use a plate or something for a template? And the back is superb!!